Man, I love Apfelwein

[rpaulson]

I had some I had out the garage all summer and it never cleared. it prob got up to the 80's and has been in primary since 4/29 (I forgot I had it out there). 1 pkt of champagne yeast (had a krausen) and 5 gal of apple juice and 2.5 lbs of sugar.

Still good?

This got lost 3 pages back because of waiting in a moderation que and never got seen.

How about it? what do you think?

 

[jgerard]

I've found that a lot of generic grocery store ciders include potassium sorbate as a preservative which will definitely impede fermentation.

Ciders that are Cold Pasteurized or UV treated don't have any Sorbates. Regular old Apple Juice seldom contains sorbate as it is probably heat pasteurized.

Similar thing for Grape Juice. Welch's has no sorbate, but some other brands (e.g. Kedem) do.

Hmm, I will have to go to the store and check since I threw the bottles out already. I don't think it was generic necessarily it was originally 3$ a half gallon before managers special and said which orchard it was from, but I don't know anything about any of that... I wonder how/if it will turn out if it does contain preservatives.

 

[smagee]

This got lost 3 pages back because of waiting in a moderation que and never got seen.

How about it? what do you think?

My last batch never cleared off its surface bubbles either; I'd wager yours is fine. Give it a taste and see, first .

 

[drew1d]

First batch came out well, like a dry white wine, but not as good cold then at room temperature.

This time,
1.5 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast,

4x1/2 gallons of Kedem the 6x1/2G Motts All-Natural Organic (They sold out of Kedem, so I bought The Organic Motts because I insist on only USA apples, and regular Motts could be Chile or China, or South Africa.)

2lbs Domino Dark brown sugar.

1 lb of Lactose

Process:
Sanitized everything with Star-San, even dunked the tops of the Apple juice containers.

Poured in about 4 gallons of the apple juice.

I dissolved the sugar and lactose in about a quart of pre-boiled water. From that, I took about half a coffee cup worth and mixed the yeast, put some saran wrap loosely around the top and left it in a dark warm cabinet for 40 minutes. The yeast was getting started so I pitched it into the carboy, and added the last 1/2 gallon to rinse it down the funnel.

Shook vigorously, and put it into my brew closet. (around 62 degrees, I can't help the temp, it may take longer...)

I'm hoping the addition of the lactose will give it the slight sweetness I'm looking for.

I hope it's ready in 4 weeks.

 

[BryanThompson]

I'm buying all the ingredients tonight to give to a friend for his birthday. He keeps talking about wanting to make it, but never does.

Has anyone ever infected some with Brett/Pedio? I'm going to start a batch over the weekend unless I hear not to from someone.

 

[nukinfuts29]

And we are underway! Used Mott's apple juice and Nottingham yeast. It has been 4.5 hours and there is already some action starting.

 

[nukinfuts29]

Also has anyone tried adding cinnamon sticks? I plan on tossing two in there around week two.

 

[BryanThompson]

I added three sticks of Ceylon cinnamon three cloves and two split vanilla beans to the batch that I just put in secondary and it is tasting great right now. Cassia cinnamon which you get in most stores is much stronger though.

 

[Recluse]

Hmm, I will have to go to the store and check since I threw the bottles out already. I don't think it was generic necessarily it was originally 3$ a half gallon before managers special and said which orchard it was from, but I don't know anything about any of that... I wonder how/if it will turn out if it does contain preservatives.

If it is from a local orchard, it is probably OK.

Also, I don't know how much sorbate they add. Certainly enough to prevent spontaneous fermentation from wild yeasts, but when pitching a lot of yeast and making conditions sort of ideal for multiplication, it MIGHT not be a big deal. I never tried it, though. My local ACME had some Ziegler's Brand Cider, and the label indicated potassium sorbate as a preservative.

 

[Longtrain4]

My first batch of Apfelwein is getting ready to bottle, a check today showed a PH of 3.6, is this on track for Apfelwein or should it be adjusted? It is still and a bit watery to my taste, although some apple notes are there. Any recommendations?

Thanks,

Tony

 

[nukinfuts29]

If it is from a local orchard, it is probably OK.

Also, I don't know how much sorbate they add. Certainly enough to prevent spontaneous fermentation from wild yeasts, but when pitching a lot of yeast and making conditions sort of ideal for multiplication, it MIGHT not be a big deal. I never tried it, though. My local ACME had some Ziegler's Brand Cider, and the label indicated potassium sorbate as a preservative.

I said out look "Acme, must be from NJ" lol

 

[jtkratzer]

Just bottled ten gallons, my first two batches. 31 wine bottles of still and 20 bottles that are going to carbonate with carb tablets. The bottles getting carbonation are 24 oz and 765 ml beer bottles.

I used Montrachet and Côte des Blancs and both are delicious. Slightly different flavor, but both are awesome. We sampled leftover from bottling with ice and a Splenda packet.

Made both batches on 2/21/11 and left on the yeast until today. It's crystal clear. We filled the wine bottles first and I'm hoping we got enough yeast off the bottom to carb the beer bottles. I'll find out in a few weeks.

 

[nukinfuts29]

Man the action on this stuff is amazing! It's shooting about 3 bubbles a second and just humming right along. SWMBO thinks i have lost it because i watch it for like 30 minutes at a time.

 

[SteveHoward]

About 3 bubbles/sec is where mine was at peak. It's a pretty captivating hobby .

 

[nukinfuts29]

It's only been going since Wed I wasn't expecting it to be cruising so well. It's in a basement closest that sits around 65F with a blanket wrapped around it.

 

[idigg]

My first batch of EdWort Apfelwein is 6 weeks in, and its totally clear. I made it on 10/15/2011. Can anyone suggest what I do at this point? My main goal is to bottle 3-4 22oz bombers, and keg the rest at 10psi. Should I use a carbonation drop in each bottle? Should I cold crash this for 2-3 days? I'm totally lost as this isn't beer!

I would like the stuff in bottles to be low carbonation, and I would like to age it out, but I'm worried about oxidation. Any help and advice is appreciated.

TIA,
justin

 

[nukinfuts29]

It really helps to read the thread, there is a ton of information in it. Ed references the kegging many many times, and I know the others were addressed. The "search thread" option may narrow it down.

 

[idigg]

Found it, thanks.

 

[idigg]

NM found it.

 

[ResumeMan]

OK just found this thread and decided to hop on the train -- but I thought I would start small.

Went out and bought a jar of organic apple juice. I had assumed I was grabbing a gallon, but when I got home I saw that it was only 3 quarts. It has no preservatives besides ascorbic acid. It doesn't say if it's pasteurized or not; if it isn't I hope I didn't start with pre-contaminated must...Also the stuff doesn't seem to be filtered b/c it's pretty cloudy.

I decided to to follow Ed's recipe as close as I could for the scale. I found an unopened package of priming tablets in the back of my cabinet. I put 4.5 oz into the AJ and let it dissolve, then I tossed in a half-teaspoon of yeast nutrient and a package of the Montrechet yeast (I hope overpitching isn't a problem). I don't have any drilled stoppers that would fit this jug so I just slapped some sanitized foil on it.

OG 1.066. We shall see what happens. I hope it's ready by NYE, I want to split it between two Coke bottles and pressure-carb one using a carbonator cap.

 

[rpaulson]

OK just found this thread and decided to hop on the train -- but I thought I would start small.

Went out and bought a jar of organic apple juice. I had assumed I was grabbing a gallon, but when I got home I saw that it was only 3 quarts. It has no preservatives besides ascorbic acid. It doesn't say if it's pasteurized or not; if it isn't I hope I didn't start with pre-contaminated must...Also the stuff doesn't seem to be filtered b/c it's pretty cloudy.

I decided to to follow Ed's recipe as close as I could for the scale. I found an unopened package of priming tablets in the back of my cabinet. I put 4.5 oz into the AJ and let it dissolve, then I tossed in a half-teaspoon of yeast nutrient and a package of the Montrechet yeast (I hope overpitching isn't a problem). I don't have any drilled stoppers that would fit this jug so I just slapped some sanitized foil on it.

OG 1.066. We shall see what happens. I hope it's ready by NYE, I want to split it between two Coke bottles and pressure-carb one using a carbonator cap.

NYE......you do know this is best with age right? My first batch is 11 months old and just now tasting great.

 

[Accidic]

@resumeman: In all likelihood it is pasteurized. You can find them unpasteurized but they are much rarer and typically always brag about it in my experience. If what you have is crystal clear it's almost guaranteed to be pasteurized or (in the only case I've seen that not hold true) filtered to high heaven and the point I'd consider it near sterile.

 

[Ramitt]

NYE......you do know this is best with age right? My first batch is 11 months old and just now tasting great.

My first batch was very drinkable at 7 weeks, though I am sure it is going to improve with more age.

 

[ResumeMan]

NYE......you do know this is best with age right? My first batch is 11 months old and just now tasting great.

HA! I may not have read far enough... the first 80 pages or so were suggesting it was great at ~4-6 weeks. ;-) Well we'll see, I'll give it a sample right after Xmas and decide if I want to serve it or stash it.

 

[Satisfaction]

In for five gallons! Cheers!

 

[h0rse27]

My first batch was very drinkable at 7 weeks, though I am sure it is going to improve with more age.

That's good to hear- I tried it at 5 weeks and it tasted like someone else said, cheap white wine.

 

[Longtrain4]

OMG I just tried and bottled my first 3 gallon carboy of Ed's Apfelwein.

It's just two months old, I added a bit of acid blend to bring it up to 3.2 pH, which I liked compared to the 3.6 it was a la carte. So, I bottled a dozen 12 oz beer bottles and added a few carb tabs to each. The rest I bottled still in wine bottles. I poured some in a glass and added a splash of Sierra Mist, just a splash, and I can't believe how refreshing and crisp it is. Good thing it's November, I can't imagine how much I would drink on a hot summer day. So far three 750ml bottles gone.

Thanks Ed, I think that you're a Mower Phukquer.

Gotta mak somm or.

 

[emjay]

So you recommend adjusting the pH to ~3.2?

 

[nukinfuts29]

Can you put this in a car during the 4 weeks? I'm moving into the new place sooner then expected (next week) which places transport just shy of week one marker.

 

[emjay]

If it's just a week, why not just wait to make it?